{{nydis5congtoc}}{{tnr}}The [[New York's 5th congressional district|5th congressional district of New York]] will hold an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.

{{nydis5congtoc}}{{tnr}}The [[New York's 5th congressional district|5th congressional district of New York]] will hold an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.

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[[File:NY5.jpg|thumb|300px|This is the 5th congressional district prior to the [[Redistricting in New York|2011 redistricting]].]]

{{Congintro2012

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==Race background==

==Race background==

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[[File:New York's 5th Congressional District Before and After the 2010 Census Redistricting.jpg|link=http://www.censusviewer.com/district-maps/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/NY-CD-05.jpg|thumb|450px|[http://www.censusviewer.com/district-maps/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/NY-CD-05.jpg Map of the 5th congressional district of New York] before and after the [[Redistricting in New York|2010 redistricting]].]]

===Democratic primary===

===Democratic primary===

Three candidates challenged incumbent [[Gregory Meeks]] in the Democratic primary. Former city councilman [[Allan Jennings Jr.]], small-business owner [[Joseph Marthone]], and recent law-school graduate [[Mike Scala]] all hoped to be the one to receive the party nod over Meeks.<ref name="qc">[http://www.queenscampaigner.com/2012/06/candidates-for-congress-spar/ ''Queens Campaigner'' "Candidates for Congress spar," June 14, 2012]</ref>

Three candidates challenged incumbent [[Gregory Meeks]] in the Democratic primary. Former city councilman [[Allan Jennings Jr.]], small-business owner [[Joseph Marthone]], and recent law-school graduate [[Mike Scala]] all hoped to be the one to receive the party nod over Meeks.<ref name="qc">[http://www.queenscampaigner.com/2012/06/candidates-for-congress-spar/ ''Queens Campaigner'' "Candidates for Congress spar," June 14, 2012]</ref>

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==District history==

==District history==

===2010===

===2010===

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[[File:NY5.jpg|thumb|300px|This is the 5th congressional district prior to the [[Redistricting in New York|2011 redistricting]].]]

On November 2, 2010, [[Gary Ackerman]] was re-elected to the [[United States House]] for a fifteenth term. He defeated James Milano ([[Republican|R]] who also ran on the [[Conservative Party]] ticket), and Elizabeth Berney (Tax Revolt).<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2010election.pdf ''U.S. Congress House Clerk'' "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"]</ref>

On November 2, 2010, [[Gary Ackerman]] was re-elected to the [[United States House]] for a fifteenth term. He defeated James Milano ([[Republican|R]] who also ran on the [[Conservative Party]] ticket), and Elizabeth Berney (Tax Revolt).<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2010election.pdf ''U.S. Congress House Clerk'' "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"]</ref>

Fusion voting

New York is one of eight states that have "electoral fusion" -- which allows more than one political party to support a common candidate. This creates a situation where one candidate will appear multiple times on the same ballot, for the same position. Electoral fusion was once widespread across the United States, but is now commonly practiced only in New York.

Opponents of fusion voting argue that the process results in dealmarking to ensure that patronage is rampant.[3] Proponents maintain that fusion voting allows for minor parties to actually make a difference during the election, allowing voters the opportunity to vote for a minority party platform but still affect the general election result.[4]

Candidates appearing in the general election will be listed below with colored dots corresponding to any party they will represent on the ballot.

Jennings also ran in the Republican primary, where he was unopposed. He considers himself to be willing to "work with anybody who’s going to help this district," which he says sets him apart from Meeks.[8]

The 29-year-old Scala graduated from law school on June 1, 2012, just a few weeks before the June 26 primary. He said he was most concerned with helping the lower and middle class.[9]

Marthone said education is the way to solve the nation's problems.[10]

At a forum in early June, the three challengers and a representative of Meeks discussed issues of importance. Jennings called for an end to the NYPD "stop and frisk" policy. Marthone pledged to fight hydrofracking and airplane noise pollution. Scala criticized Meeks for supporting the Budget Control Act, which took away subsidized loans for graduate students.[8] Meeks was busy in Washington at the time of the forum, but his representative said that most of the issues brought up were city and state issues, not national ones -- indicating that the challengers were not prepared for federal politics.[8]

Impact of redistricting

Following the results of the 2010 Census, New York lost two congressional seats, bringing its total number of representatives down from 29 to 27. According to a report in the Washington Post political blog "The Fix," New York was one of the top 10 redistricting battles in the nation.[11]